Pennsylvanians will be required to show government-issued photo identification in order to cast votes in November, thanks to a GOP-supported voter ID law signed by Gov. Tom Corbett (R) earlier this year. While supporters argued that it was a simple measure meant to combat voter fraud, figures released this week show that the law may affect more than 750,000 Pennsylvanians who don't currently possess identification cards issued by the state Department of Transportation Department.

According to the report, which compared voter registration rolls with transportation department ID databases, more than 758,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania have no driver's license -- a primary form of identification. That's 9.2 percent of the state's 8.2 million voters, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. In Philadelphia, the state's biggest city, that number balloons to 18 percent of the city's total voting population -- around 186,830 registered voters, according to the newspaper.

Once upon a time, citizens who didn't own property were frequently disenfranchised. Similarly, today, people who don't drive are increasingly discriminated against.

It will be an effective strategy for the Republican Party if they can get away with it. In 2008, Obama won by a landslide in most dense urban areas, while McCain did much better in suburban and rural areas.

Yeah it looks like other IDs are allowed, still a problem as not everyone has those, but not necessarily 10% of the population.

One thing slightly unrelated, but it being from Pennsylvania reminded me. How do these voter ID laws work with absentee ballots?

I have a friend from Pennsylvania who attends the same school as I do in Canada. I'm assuming this friend is still registered to vote in Pennsylvania, she lives there in the summer, but won't be there in November. It doesn't seem like you can easily show an ID with an absentee ballot mailed from out of the country so can she not vote in that case, or how does it work? anyone know?

Voting rights activists have charged that voter ID laws disproportionately target students, minorities and elderly voters who tend to vote Democratic.
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According to frequently cited studies on voter fraud, there were a grand total of 13 "credible cases of in-person voter impersonation" -- one of the types of fraud most frequently targeted by voter ID champions -- recorded from 2000 to 2010. As Comedy Central's Indecision blog points out, exploding toilets and deaths by television are far more common.

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And to think, I always thought Republicans wanted fewer, not more, government rules and regulations. Noting like spending tax payers' time and money to pass a law targeting a practically non-existant problem.

And to think, I always thought Republicans wanted fewer, not more, government rules and regulations. Noting like spending tax payers' time and money to pass a law targeting a practically non-existant problem.

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This. State's that pass these laws are, at best, inconveniencing thousands of voters to solve a nonexistent problem. At worst, they're actively trying to create a new poll tax to limit minority voters.

This. State's that pass these laws are, at best, inconveniencing thousands of voters to solve a nonexistent problem. At worst, they're actively trying to create a new poll tax to limit minority voters.

Even though Voter ID laws is a move by the GOP to prevent voters who usually vote Democrat from voting, I am for it. You should show ID of who you are when you vote.

But since not everyone can afford to get an official ID, the state should help out providing those people with getting one.

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The Constitution is unambiguous. People have the right to vote. Period. No ID required. You walk in, you vote. The right to vote is far more clear than the right to bear arms; why does the right defend that right while actively trying to violate the Constitutional rights of the poor, minorities, students and the elderly?

The Constitution is unambiguous. People have the right to vote. Period. No ID required. You walk in, you vote. The right to vote is far more clear than the right to bear arms; why does the right defend that right while actively trying to violate the Constitutional rights of the poor, minorities, students and the elderly?

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"People" could be visitors from another country. By your definition they should be allowed to vote also. I have no problem with requiring ID to buy a firearm.

In Virginia, we are issued a voter id card when we register to vote. Your name is checked against the voter registration list when you show up to vote. A new law took effect on July 1 that a personal id is required to vote. Virginia DMV issues a personal id to those who want one and do not have or want a driver's license. Why would anyone be allowed to vote without id?

Reminds me of my early days in Missouri when the slogan was "vote early and often".

In Virginia, we are issued a voter id card when we register to vote. Your name is checked against the voter registration list when you show up to vote. A new law took effect on July 1 that a personal id is required to vote. Virginia DMV issues a personal id to those who want one and do not have or want a driver's license. Why would anyone be allowed to vote without id?

Reminds me of my early days in Missouri when the slogan was "vote early and often".

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You will be asked to provide proof of voter fraud when we don't ID people to vote.

The Constitution is unambiguous. People have the right to vote. Period. No ID required. You walk in, you vote. The right to vote is far more clear than the right to bear arms; why does the right defend that right while actively trying to violate the Constitutional rights of the poor, minorities, students and the elderly?

In Virginia, we are issued a voter id card when we register to vote. Your name is checked against the voter registration list when you show up to vote. A new law took effect on July 1 that a personal id is required to vote. Virginia DMV issues a personal id to those who want one and do not have or want a driver's license. Why would anyone be allowed to vote without id?

Reminds me of my early days in Missouri when the slogan was "vote early and often".

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Apparently quite a few folks aren't really understanding what is going on. Let me spell it out for you:

1) These laws are being concocted not to address a real problem, because the systematic voting fraud is extremely rare these days. (As an aside, sometimes phony voter registration figures as a part of identity theft/financial fraud. These laws may have a positive side effect with respect to this.)

2) The laws are disproportionately affecting specific groups, some combination of: old, black, women, urban, etc. Many old people were not born in hospitals and did not automatically get birth certificates. (One of my family members was born at home. Not unusual then.) Many older urban people never learned to drive and did not get drivers licenses.

3) By discriminating against particular groups, these laws should have been tossed out as violating various laws such as the Voting Rights Act.

4) In certain states, these laws will likely affect the outcome of elections. Such as Pennsylvania.

5) Voter suppression efforts by the Republican Party were successful in 2008, and, you are seeing 10X the effort this year. Getting angry yet? Let's see you volunteer to help re-register older Pennsylvania voters before it is too late.

So, if you think it is OK to disallow the votes of U.S. citizens because you don't like the way they vote, then, I guess you are probably a Republican in favor of these laws and voter suppression efforts. Welcome to the 19th century. (Another aside: in the 19th century, voting fraud and voter suppression were quite commonplace.)

How is this at all discriminating? Everyone should have ID in case they are in an accident or for some reason someone needs to identify who they are.

Making this is an issue is bull.

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The GOP are making this an issue in an attempt to violate peoples' Constitutional rights. Period. What do you not get about that. There are already systems in place that are all but perfect in preventing in-person voting fraud, and yet, for some reason the GOP has run a scare campaign to require IDs, purge voter roles, and make it more difficult to register voters.

THEY ARE TRYING TO STEAL THE ELECTION, and then complain about Chicago politics.

How is this at all discriminating? Everyone should have ID in case they are in an accident or for some reason someone needs to identify who they are.

Making this is an issue is bull.

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It's not. It's just a way for people to appear concerned about those who can't muster up the motivation to get off their ass long enough to go get an ID so that when Joe Blow shows up to his polling place we are reasonably assured that is, in fact, Joe Blow.

The issue has become politicized recently because, if we're being honest, the party that generally benefits from the lazy and coddled is raising six kinds of hell about this out of self-preservation. It's not like states that are instituting programs like this are making these IDs difficult to obtain....you just actually have to go get them.

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